#how to write for alto clarinet

[spirirsstuff]

hear me out. connor murphy but musically educated

[paloma-ascends-into-hellfire]

intro post or whatever because why not i'm bored and i should be studying for my finals but haha, clearly i'm not

~ basic info ~

paloma/palo/whatever | she/they | aroace + bi | latine (el salvador)/canadian | infp | bookworm | writer | music lover | theatre kid |

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~fandoms~

percy jackson / a good girl's guide to murder / one of us is lying / ace attorney /epic the musical/ starkid/tcb/ dear evan hansen (i'm sorry i'm a cringey teenager) / stranger things (fuck noah schnapp) / the outsiders / glee (again, cringey teenager) / wednesday / rtc / the owl house / shakespeare /

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~ music ~

laufey, olivia rodrigo, melanie martinez, the cardigans, em beihold, precious pepala, paris paloma, dove cameron, showtunes, taylor swift, abba, seb lowe, daisy grenade, billie eilish, renée rapp, paramore, dua lipa, camilla cabello, kaia jette, kendall nicole, mariah rose faith, haim, maisie peters

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~ fav albums ~

guts, olivia rodrigo

reputation, taylor swift

1989, taylor swift

speak now, taylor swift

midnights, taylor swift

egg in the backseat, em beihold

when we all fall asleep where do we go?, billie eilish

sour, olivia rodrigo

the good witch, maisie peters

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my chaotic tagging system:

#as a canadian i approve - canada stuff

#the friends - interacting with my moots, individuals will be tagged with their name + <3

#wholesomeness - self explanatory

#mental health shit - what the name says

#important - stuff i want you to see

#<3 - misc things i find nice

#snake snake snake - snakes!

#rant rant rant - my lil ranty rants

#personal - me stuff!

#🏳️‍🌈 stuff - queer stuff, be it wholesome, important, or funny. i’m really bad about tagging this one though lol

#disabilty - mainly chronic migraine things

#adhd stuff - what it says

otherwise i just kind of tag my fandoms as their own thing depending on how i want to see.

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~ misc. ~

i play alto sax, drums, keyboard, and clarinet

i have a sideblog, @paloma-writes-about-hellfire - irls dni with that one

my blog is kind of a disaster, but it's mostly hatchetfield, epic the musical, spies are forever, lgbtq+, current events, wholesome stuff, and occasionally a personal anecdote, we're kinda all over the place here but oh well

i love all animals but especially owls, snakes, butterflies, and cats

PLEASE TALK TO ME ABOUT MEDICAL STUFF ESP MEDICAL HISTORY

ask me about leopold and loeb, PLEASE I LOVE YAPPING

also i love ranting so if you wanna rant with someone, i'm your girl

free palestine

fuck jkr

trans rights

go away terfs, homophobes, aphobes, islamaphobes, anti-semites, racists, bigots in general

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[royallygray]

Royal remember when we would send asks to each other with a bunch of questions? Well I'm doing that again now. As always, no pressure and feel free to just answer a few instead of all of them :D

Do you keep plants? And do they actually live or do they just die?

What's your favorite instrument?

Something you wanna do this summer?

Do you have a bucket list? And if you do, what's the thing you wanna do the most on it?

What songs always make you feel better?

What type of art do you enjoy making the most? (Drawing, knitting, writing, etc)

One of the best things you've ever bought?

What year of your life was your favorite, and why?

What color is your room painted? And what color do you want it to be painted, if you'd want to change it.

Are you really silly (really silly)?

Did you know that you have a pretty singing voice and I love listening to the stuff you make? And that it makes me really happy that you get really happy from me saying that?

Do you have a favorite scent, and if you do what is it?

My noise is so itchy right now. I hate having allergies to outside and dust lol. Do you have allergies too?

What's your favorite meal with chicken?

What's a weird collection you have/had?

What's your favorite sea creature?

Okay that's all for now!! Feel free to send these same ones or different ones back to me lol. I'm getting fishies todayyyy am very happy. Also I just gave my Grandma's dog Hermione a bath, so I now smell like wet dog. But it's okay. She had SO MUCH fur that needed to get off. She was shedding so much.

I keep trying to figure out somewhere to work around me thats not loud but. do you know how impossible that is. it's so bad. Like. Sensory issues suck

But it's okay

Because I'll be okay

I just want money cause I want a crested gecko lmao

But they're so cuteeeee!!!!

Okay this is me actually leaving (probably)

Bye Starsightttttttt

- Mysterious <3

OOOH QUESTIONS

[do I keep plants] Not really, but I keep flowers that people give me/are trinkets at fairs or smth. I have a dead one on my desk from a fair thingy that I totally need to throw away, and I have one in the freezer that was a gift from a fellow cast member of a play I was in. The one in the freezer still looks intact.

[what's my favorite instrument] Mysterious how am I supposed to answer this :( I play clarinet. I have an oboe that I'm trying to learn this summer, but I haven't been doing that a lot lol.

I have a list of instruments I want/want to learn. I used to play violin but I don't anymore bc we returned the violin and I would like to pick it up again. I'd also like to learn viola because it looks cool but apparently they have an entire different fucking clef?? called an alto clef??? like wtf why would they do that to me

I'd also like to learn saxophone. Either soprano, alto, or tenor, idrc. But it's a cool instrument. Id also like to play bass clarinet because it is literally the same as normal clarinet just Big. it's in the treble clef and everything. It's just Big clarinet. I would love to learn guitar. it seems like such an important piece for like background music on tracks and just. I wanna learn it. and its the most common thing that people use for chords. I have a piano that I fuck around with, but I don't know how to use chords and shit but I know how to play the shit out of the melody.

I also need to learn to read the bass clef. I played flute in 4th grade and I'd kind of like to play it again

that's a lot of words about instruments lol😅 idk what my favorite one is but I hope that was enough info to make up for it

OMG WAIT. KAZOO.

Also my dad wants me to learn piccolo. which is actually interesting

[smth I wanna do this summer] um. idk. well I wanna try to learn oboe, as said. OMG ALSO

So I have the goal of transcripting the life series and I wanna do that :] I'm failing so far but ITS ALRIGHT YKNOW I GOT TIME also I need to clear out my storage bc I have too much shit on my phone and 2 ipads (I don't have a laptop :()

[do I have a bucket list, and what's on it] uhhh not rly but I wanna meet you irl someday. also prolly go to Europe. Maybe also either Taiwan or China so I can improve my Chinese a lot. also I do wanna have a first kiss because like I'm intrigued. what does it feel like. OOH also I wanna write a full fledged story or smth. and a story in Mandarin Chinese. because like. you'd think I'd be fluent enough after ten fucking years but NOOOOO

also last night apparently I had a dream where an author (maybe Brandon fuckin Sanderson?? idk) wrote The Rescue Princesses and also was mentioned in the Aru Shah books like. what the fuck was that dream. it was weird ASF (I just saw the Aru Shah books on my shelf and I was Confused)

[what songs always make me feel better] okay okay okay. So. If William Gold wasn't a fucking piece of shit, Warsaw, Your Sister was Right, For Memories, Concrete, You'll Understand When You're Older. Not necessarily make me feel better, but like. resonate somewhere deep within my soul. As it is, I feel like throwing up when I hear his voice. Genuinely, acoustic Sex Sells came on a few days ago and I was like "oh nice it's a good song I can totally listen to it right" and then he started singing and then I like. couldn't it was so bad.

Someone to You by Banners. Just. it's so. sjqieowhads

Also In My Dreams by Precious Jewel Amor is really good

Honestly Get Used to It by Ricky Montgomery. like one of my favorite songs. also I'm aware that most of these aren't rly happy--

STARLIGHT BY TAYLOR SWIFT. IT IS. A BOP.

[what art do I enjoy making the most] I like to crochet :) i also like drawing. one of my favorite mediums is oil pastels lol. But my favorite has to be crocheting bc I use it as a stim and also like. it makes warm things :D I tried to make a sweater and if you scroll to the second post I ever made on this blog I think you can find it lol. I'll continue it some day. ooh but I do also kind of enjoy writing. but I need to have the like brain flowing. which I almost never have. so my answer is still crocheting :D

[one of the best things I've ever bought] Tied between my Techno plushie ($40) and life series hoodie ($55). mcyt hyperfixation made me broke o7 but it was totally worth the money

[what year of my life was my favorite and why] damn idk. I don't rly have a favorite, but it's more. this happened. idk.

Probably 2021, if I had to say. It was 3rd Life, Among Us, me finding dsmp, just a ton of things and I started figuring more out about myself. pretty decent year. but this year (2023-2024) was also pretty good. I made a lot of friends

[what color is my room painted, and what would I like to change it to] okay. so. like AGES ago we were gonna paint my room. and we painted two walls. we got light blue on the east and marshmallow white on the west. the other walls (North and south) are painted VERY VERY light pink so light it is white. since that's the color my sister had. we were gonna paint the other window wall (north) blue and the non-window wall white (south) but it never happened. so now I have mismatched walls.

The blue is rly nice, but if I moved, I think I'd paint three walls light lavender, and one the marshmallow white.

purple is god tier

[am I really silly (really silly)] yes. sometimes. like inside my soul yes outside my soul not rly

[did you know

EDIT: I PRESSED SAVE DRAFT BUT APPARENTLY I PRESSED THE BUTTON TWICE AND ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IT SORRY LOVE ILL ANSWER THE REST LATER

[thespeakersystem]

Hey ‘cause I know several current and former clarinettists follow this blog: Anyone have any tips on how to use an alto clarinet? We’re writing a quartet for four different clarinets (E-Flat, B-Flat, Alto, and Bass w/low C extension) and wanna make sure the alto’s being utilized to its fullest potential.

[littencloud9]

okay!!! so, these are very american instruments bc it was like four am when we did this, BUT:

ADA:

fukuzawa: head band director

kunikida: drum major (plays clarinet)

dazai: trumpet

ranpo: xylophone (front ensemble/pit)

atsushi: baritone

jun'ichirou: color guard

naomi: color guard

yosano: trumpet (also the instrument doctor - she fixes all broken instruments)

kenji: either sousaphone or base drum (drumline)

kyouka: mellophone

haruno: marimba (front ensemble/pit)

katai: synthesizer (front ensemble/pit)

PM:

mori: color guard director (so sorry... the vibes...)

hirotsu: marching director

chuuya: originally trumpet but he can't be in the same section as dazai, so he switched to trombone

kajii: tenor drum (drumline)

akutagawa: timpani (front ensemble/pit)

tachihara: (alto) saxophone

gin: (base) clarinet

higuchi: baritone

kouyou: color guard (plays flute outside of marching band)

q: glockenspiel (front ensemble/pit)

GUILD:

fitzgerald: music director

melville: brass tech - comes and helps out brass specifically, played mellophone when he was in band

john: (alto) saxophone

mark (tenor) saxophone

lucy: trumpet

louisa: clarinet

lovecraft: color guard

margaret: mellophone

nathaniel: (wanted to play harp in pit) mellophone

poe: baritone

OTHER:

fukuchi: the retired band director who visits (drunk) and heckles the band

natsume: writes the drill for the band

fyodor: drum major (plays baritone & flute)

ango: drum major (plays clarinet)

sigma: flute

tecchou: (tenor) saxophone

jouno: marimba (front ensemble/pit)

teruko: trumpet

nikolai: color guard (but can also play snare drum)

bram: color guard (their show is about vampires)

ivan: sousaphone

pushkin: sousaphone

aya: baritone

mushitaro: sousaphone

shibusawa: flute

agatha christie: flute

... idk how this happened at 4am but... it did lol

oh my GOD AKSJFKFJ. im not familiar with band instruments but my brother is in band (symphonic tho not marching, but most instruments crossover) so i told all this to him. he heavily agrees. especially with kenji and the sousaphone + chuuya swapping sections + sigma and the flute! he says youre so correct for that HAHA

[dustedmagazine]

Brian Harnetty — Words and Silences (Winesap Records)

Words and Silences by Brian Harnetty

Composer and instrumentalist Brian Harnetty has accomplished something rare in Words and Silences. He has achieved a compelling, an oddly timely synthesis of the recorded reflections of Thomas Merton and Harnetty’s own limpid music. Merton, the Kentucky-based Trappist monk who achieved a halting fame in the mid-20th century, recorded a series of reflections in 1967, the year before his unexpected death in Thailand. These are fundamentally reflections on those things noted in Harnetty’s title, but also on books and identity and nature. They are not overly self-regarding or verbose, and it’s that sense of sparseness and gentle clarity that Harnetty’s music also possesses.

On this series of uncluttered, usually brief tracks, Harnetty – who plays piano here – employs an ensemble consisting of clarinetist Katie Porter Maxwell, trumpeter Phil Rodriguez, trombonist William Lang, and Jeremy Woodroff on flute, alto and baritone. It’s rare to hear the full ensemble playing at once, since the intention behind Harnetty’s pieces is create spaces for reflection and also for meditating on Merton’s own commentaries, which are unfailingly compelling. Be thankful, too, that Harnetty has included all the instrumental tracks on their own (which is how I began to digest this record) as well as in accompaniment to Merton. There are resonant piano figures, repeating notes that dissipate and reform; multiple passages where a lonely clarinet writes pastoral sketches in the sky; grouped brass is a constant; and in general the tone is lyrical and patient, Harnetty slowly dilating the harmony bit by bit. If listening for influences in these gentle pieces, with their overlapping lines lapping at your ears, certainly minimalist composers come to mind; but I also hear a nod to the precise orchestration of artists ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Sujan Stevens. Consider “Well, Cats, Now We Change Our Tune,” where the piano arpeggio is flanked by Lang’s trombone and Maxwell’s B-flat clarinet. Some of my favorite pieces, though, are for Harnetty alone: “Strange Things You Sometimes Find” or “Let There Be a Moving Mosaic of This Rich Material” are particular piano standouts. 

Whether or not you have any familiarity with Merton’s thinking, or his far-reaching influence on religious pacifism and the contemplative tradition, it’s easy to just nestle in and bathe in the words as if they were another instrument. Merton speaks with an assured baritone, his diction unfailingly patient. The recordings are almost all accompanied with the sounds of the natural world, frequently birds, or rainfall, or a running brook. On “Sound of an Unperplexed Wren,” for example, he at length simply states “no comment necessary” before cycling through names of sub-species familiar no doubt to birdwatchers. He reads a Beckett fragment, riffing briefly on the importance of how writing sounds. These moments of clarity and frank observation, though, are outweighed by Merton’s ruminations on the perplexity of everything, or meditating on how it is possible for one human to identify with another. 

This blend of ideas is perfectly complemented Harnetty’s lilting melodies. On “Who is This I?” we’re treated to the gentle interplay of instruments, birdsong, Merton’s thoughts on Sufi mysticism, and his interjections about the recorded medium itself. The latter range from the mundane (“This needs to be louder, I think”) to the philosophical: on “Thinking Out Loud in a Hermitage” Merton opines, he describes his process as not “two machines recording each other, but a speaking which will somehow bring to the surface this metaphysical perplexity of man in the presence of his own being, or being in the presence of other beings, in such a way that the unity is manifest of the one and many.”

In this fractious times, I found myself not just compelled but consoled by this music. Harnetty’s writing is pure, though never necessarily hymnal, and Merton’s generosity of spirit and his candor can be a balm. Whether he discusses Mary Lou Williams or Michel Foucault, he is invariably drawn to what lies outside of himself: the hawk waiting by the cross in a poplar tree, on the morning of Pentecost; or the idea of examining fragments, seeing not just difference but the possibility of making mosaics. Harnetty is to be commended for writing such gorgeous music, and for realizing such a project.

Jason Bivins

[moonglittering]

♠ !!

✨ @guttersniper. meme. still accepting!

before being a writer and visual artist, im a musician... and i play multiple instruments im ok at production w. DAWs and shit, yall have seen my work if you were lucky enough to catch it. i grew up really poor but my family made sure to put me in piano lessons by the time i was 4 yrs old. which was fine i guess lol. i played piano off and on til i was like 12. i was also taught the flute in the meantime cuz my moms a flutist.

also took violin lessons for 2 years! and that didnt stick at all! glkjgkl.

got to marching band in middle school, got more curious about learning. so i styarted playing everything i could get my hands on independent from band and my music classes. i learned how to play:

clarinet.

piccolo

alto sax. baritone sax.

oboe.

french horn.

trombone.

sousaphone.

drums / snare, quads, bass, kits, bongos, timpani, etc.

auxillary / glockenspiel, tubular bells, gong, cymbals, fun stuff like wood blocks and the flexatone, etc etc.

xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, chimes. the keyboard family.

bass guitar but i’m not very good at it i don’t wanna talk bout that.

i can also sing! and do metal screams! i was in a metal band for like 2 weeks before i decided that shit wasnt for me im more of a backstage person.

having access to a band room full of instruments is neat if ur brave and don’t mind practicing for hours.

im also really good at notation. ive done a lot of sheet music writing in my time.

oh and i can DJ as well. :)

[aldor-der-wear]

New intro post!!

This is my main, my other one is and my post tag is <femur arts>

About me

Minor as in a lower highschooler.

Trans masc (they/he)

I have a lovely boyfriend (I always have to brag about him bc I love him sm)

I have three special interests I rotate around, titans from the owl house, music, and general biology/evolution/astronomy. These are basically the only things I really think about. I

I play flute and classical guitar

My to learn/get instrument list is electric base, electric guitar, bass clarinet, baritone, kalimba, and bass/alto flute (realisticly will not be able to sadly but one can hope)

I am a music producer. Currently an instrumental but hoping one day to be a vocal synth producer. My songs are usually basically journal passages and how I deal with emotions.

I tend to yap so much I end up writing whole essays. I usually post about titans because I don't really feel qualified to talk about real world science. I don't want to spread misinformation. And music stuff I have a whole separate blog for.

Things I do on here/projects

Music, duh, always. I have a story line that I want to carry out by song. Idk what to call it but it's like an si fi fantasy apocalypse type deal.

I also have an owl house au I'm currently working on. It's in the world building stages, and that's why you see all the titan posts. It will go on from titans, to general demon realm culture and history, to characters then plot. I have no clue how I will tell the story but that is currently years down the road.

Other than that any just general song either typically has the purpose to vent, or to try and help people. Same with powems and stuff. I have purged most of my stuff currently though, and this will be a typical occurrence.

[musicarenagh]

Tenderhooks Sheds More Light on Self And Latest Single 'Palace Pier' Hi guys, fasten your seatbelts for an exciting trip into the world of Tenderhooks, that rock/pop group, who originated from Brighton, UK. They're breaking new grounds once again with their brand-new jam named "Palace Pier' and you should take this chance to indulge in their originality and high power of music. "Palace Pier" – is a great example of a typical summer love story filmed at the marvelous place that Brighton Palace Pier. See you on that trip with love and deportation in your hearts – that’s exactly what this track is about. Under the leadership of Markus, Charl, Mike, and Andy, Tenderhooks has created a sound that is new yet manages to blend rock, pop, ska, and other styles together. In this chitchat, we're analyzing every part of Tenderhooks' world from roots to their artistic process and everything in between. These guys are telling their tales during the process, giving their struggles and tips on how they overcome them. Through jam sessions to recording sessions, this is how they're making magic behind the scenes. Therefore, settle in and be ready to entertain with us Tenderhooks. We'll share tips on inspiration, obstacles, and what is ahead next. It is going to be a great experience, so sit back and just enjoy the ride! Buckle up and get ready for the Tenderhooks ride – the music is sizzling hot, the vibe is always cool, and anything can happen.Let's do this! Listen to Palace Pier on https://open.spotify.com/track/5z1FHXqej2mlHoLTpoSUc3?si=9a40d556b3414524 Follow Tenderhooks on Bandcamp Facebook Twitter Spotify Soundcloud Bandcamp Instagram Tiktok Youtube What is your stage name Tenderhooks Is there a story behind your stage name? I wrote a screen play about a band called Tenderhooks. A play on tenterhooks. The band never got signed in the film and the film never got made. Where do you find inspiration? Everything around me. The way we are destroying our planet, wars that are raging, our lack of success and love. Plenty of ammo there. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Mum started me on piano. In school I played clarinet. In New York I bought an alto sax. Now I busk with a Hagstrom acoustic guitar. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Mum played great piano. Great sight reader which I am not! Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? I'm an actor so being on stage and performing was never an issue. Getting good songs together started in my early 40s. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? Writing came late, playing was always there, singing wasn't and still isn't that great. Now we have Charl singing the newer material. [caption id="attachment_54542" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Writing came late, playing was always there,[/caption] What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? The Clash. Hastings Pier How could you describe your music? Eclectic. Uplifting and entertaining. Something there for everyone Describe your creative process. Sometimes a lyric but mostly and chord progression. I write on piano and guitar. What is your main inspiration? Trying to be a success. What musician do you admire most and why? David Bowie. His varied writing styles and great look. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Not really. We still play in tiny venues to very few people so how can we evlove. Who do you see as your main competitor? AI What are your interests outside of music? Golf If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I'm retired so, kicking back and playing a bit more golf. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Everything is a problem if you don't have success. https://open.spotify.com/artist/145sIL2lTb9SrV5oEi9Wv1 If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Stop cover bands and tribute acts Why did you choose this as the title of this project? We live in Brighton and it's a love story set on the Palace Pier in Brighton

What are your plans for the coming months? Try and get a gig. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans I work with Charl who is now in the band. Great producer/singer/guitarist What message would you like to give to your fans? What fans?

[slackville-records]

Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) had a sound on alto saxophone that remains highly recognizable. His ambition, he said, was to sound like a dry martini. He began by playing clarinet in high school and was tutored in music theory by his father, a theater organist and arranger. Paul studied literature at San Francisco State and, although he did not pursue a writing career, he displayed considerable talent. A short, witty piece entitled “How Jazz Came to Orange County Fair” was published in Punch in 1973. This was an excerpt from a book that Desmond was purportedly writing called “How Many of You Are There in the Quartet?”

Desmond first met pianist Dave Brubeck while both were in the Army, and in 1947 they connected again. Brubeck was studying at Mills College and playing nights with a trio in San Francisco. Desmond began sitting in with the trio and with Brubeck’s experimental octet at Mills.

In 1951 Desmond joined what was to become one of the most famous groups in jazz, the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Desmond’s airy, melodic style was a perfect balance to Brubeck’s forceful, polytonal playing. Their uncanny rapport and ability to interact kept the music exciting and fresh. The group’s popularity had spread via college campuses, but a Time magazine article featuring Brubeck brought them international attention in 1954, the same year that Paul recorded his first album as a leader, The Paul Desmond Quintet - Desmond.

In 1959 their Time Out album, which experimented with time signatures, was an enormous hit, and “Take Five,” written by Desmond in 5/4 time, was the first jazz instrumental to sell over a million singles. Other of his compositions such as “Audrey,” “Desmond Blue,” and “Wendy” are often visited by jazz musicians.

After the Quartet disbanded in 1967, Desmond recorded a duet with Brubeck, guested with Brubeck’s musician sons, and played in pianoless groups with guitarist Jim Hall and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. He frequently played in Toronto, Canada, leading a quartet that included guitarist Ed Bickert, bassist Don Thompson, and drummer Jerry Fuller.

Desmond’s wry humor was intact even as he was dying. Doug Ramsey in his book Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond reports that when asked if he wanted a memorial service, Desmond replied, “I don’t care. I’ll be dead.”

Source: Sandra Burlingame

[narancias-headband]

Golden Wind - Band AU

This is a long one... Here we go!

Conductor:

Doppio/Diavolo - Sweet and excited... Until you miss the new key signature... Then he's a whole other person. Literally.

Oboe:

Giorno - The new kid. Has been thrust into the role of partial leadership over the band. Talented and quiet. Makes his own reeds.

Bassoon:

Prosciutto - Flaunts how expensive his instrument is. Very classically trained and snobby. Will glare at you if you're out of tune.

Flute:

Trish (covers piccolo when needed) - Quiet, reserved, high-maintenance flute girl. Constantly fighting with the conductor. Polishes her flute every spare second she has.

Melone - How does he see his music when his hair is always in his face? He shows up to rehearsal either looking like he's ready to hit the club or like he just rolled out of bed.

Clarinet:

Bucciarati - Outgoing and friendly. Would be happy to practice with you. Looks angry when he's playing. Lowkey happy that Giorno took over as the unofficial head of the woodwinds.

Abbacchio - Only here because Bucciarati convinced him to join. He won't help you figure out notes, fingerings, or rhythms - don't ask. Counts out loud, quietly, but you can still hear if you're close enough.

Tiziano - Loves trills too much. Hates playing low. His clarinet is probably the cleanest instrument in the whole band.

Bass Clarinet:

Cioccolata - Sorry, but I've never met a bass clarinetist that wasn't creepy. Science person who's just in the band for fun. Doesn't understand music theory. Disgusting reed.

Saxophones:

Sale (Alto) - Plays too loud, but plays the right notes. Probably the source of the squeaks in the band.

Squalo (Alto, covers Soprano if needed) - Elitist saxophonist. Thinks he should always have the melody. Misses flats.

Formaggio (Tenor) - Hate to say it, but he's the epitome of "saxophone player (derogatory)". Obnoxious. Never stops with the conductor. Thinks saxophones are the best instrument and won't shut up about it. Never practices, but somehow always knows his part.

Secco (Bari) - Hates when he has any sort of melody part. Just wants to play the bassline. Keeps his reeds moist in his water bottle that he still drinks from.

Trumpet:

Narancia - Self-taught. Killer range; he just thinks playing high is fun. Plays an old beat up trumpet with nearly all the shine worn off.

Illuso - "Trumpet player (derogatory)" type. Overly cocky. Tries to steal every solo. Plays over everyone else. He's probably the best at double tonguing, though.

French Horn:

Fugo - Reserved and sophisticated. Plays too quiet, but knows his part. Afraid to write on his music. Is the person his friend group ends up surrounding during a break.

Trombone:

Risotto - Plays bass 'bone every chance he gets. Intimidating and skilled. He's probably played the whole repertoire a few times before. Corrects the conductor.

Gelato - Old friend of Risotto's, so he always gets a call to be in the band despite poor attendance. Can growl like a god, overdoes it.

Sorbet - Chose trombone just to sit with Gelato. Always asking about slide positions. Adds in accidental glissandos a lot.

Baritone:

Ghiaccio - Plays treble clef because he never learned bass. Used to be a trumpet player, decided he'd rather be in a smaller section. Most likely to mess up and yell "Fuck!" in the middle of a rest.

Tuba:

Pesci - Shy and quiet, until he gets playing. Can and will blow you away. Takes tuning very seriously. Organizes sectionals for all the low brass/woodwinds to work on their parts together.

Percussion:

Mista - Mainly plays snare. Loves marches. Unofficial leader of the section. Loud and excited. Tends to rush.

Carne - Mainly plays bass drum/tympani. There has to be a metronome in his brain. He can keep time like no other.

Zucchero - Mainly plays mallets, marimba is his favorite. Loves to show off with pieces that require 4 mallets.

[tmbgareok]

Throwback: John Linnell talks Nanobots with Seven Days

http://www.7dvt.com/2013interview-they-might-be-giants-john-linnell

by Dan Bowles

When Seven Days chatted with They Might Be Giants’ cofounder John Linnell in early February, it was prior to the release of the band’s latest and 16th album, Nanobots. It was also prior to the ensuing press junket in which journalists from outlets large and small would all ask basically a variation on the same question: “What’s the story with the new record?”

Not having had time to formulate a real answer — and not having had to give that answer ad nauseam — Linnell’s response was remarkably candid: “Um … I don’t know.”

As it turns out, Nanobots is classic TMBG, loaded with the signature hooks and cleverly eccentric wordplay that fans have come to adore over the band’s 31-year career.

In advance of TMBG’s performance at the Higher Ground Ballroom this Thursday, here is that interview with Linnell, in which he dishes on the new record (sort of), technology, the perils of making kids’ albums and the indestructibility of Yamaha instruments.

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the story with Nanobots? JOHN LINNELL: There are things about the record that … um, I don’t know. You know, I should really come up with a specific answer to your question, because I’m going to be asked it over and over again: “What is so special about album number 16?” Unfortunately, I’m in the worst position to answer that. I’m very much inside the project. So from my perspective, we’ve just done our best one more time.

I think the biggest challenge is just topping the last record that we did. So what’s different? Well, there are a number of songs that are under 20 seconds. It’s not something completely unheard of in our work. We’ve done short songs in the past. But there are probably more of them than we’ve ever done before. So yeah … what else? I’ll have to ask John Flansburgh what he says, because I still don’t have a really satisfying answer.

SD: Um … there is a lot of bass clarinet? JL: There is! Thank you. Actually, you know what there is? I’m giving you a scoop.

It’s actually not bass clarinet. It’s contra-alto clarinet, which is even lower than the bass clarinet. I bought one right before we began recording. So naturally, I wanted to use it on every single song. I didn’t, but it is on a lot of them. Unfortunately, I can’t play that and sing at the same time. So for the tour, I’ll be bringing out the bass clarinet, which is more roadworthy. It actually survived a fire we had at the end of the last tour.

SD: Really? JL: Yeah. I should do testimonials for the Yamaha corporation. What happened was our trailer caught on fire on the last day of the tour and the driver did not notice there was smoke pouring out of the back. We lost a ton of gear and all of our merch. But somehow the bass clarinet survived … It’s impervious to destruction.

SD: You typically go into the studio with an overabundance of material. How do you decide what makes the album, and what do you do with the songs that end up on the cutting-room floor? JL: We don’t throw anything away that’s valuable. We do have a lot of songs left over, and they will be appearing in one form or another. Sometimes songs just hang around for an album cycle and get put on the next record. Aside from that, it’s hard to make a statement about how we choose. I will say that, for this record, we had one or two songs that sounded similar. So we would tend to not want to put them together.

SD: Having written so many songs, I imagine it might be easy to repeat yourself after a while. JL: Lyrically, that is a real hazard. There are some bands that have certain topics that they like. We tend to pick out certain nouns that we like. I think John says in one of the songs, “We are running out of nouns.” But we haven’t yet. And I don’t know if that’s really a serious concern. We can write a few songs with the same noun, but that doesn’t mean they are the same song.

SD: And there are only so many chords to choose from. JL: There are a very finite number of chords.

SD: Do you find a different type of satisfaction when you finish a kids’ album versus an “adult” album? JL: I think we feel a bit more responsibility to say something to people who aren’t already immersed in culture. There is a thing about adults, which is, they tend to think like rock critics. When they listen to a record, they compare it to everything else they’ve ever heard and read it on that basis. But young kids don’t, they’re more openminded. But they’re also being introduced to all sorts of things for the first time. So in that regard, it’s very different. So it’s exciting for us to do some kind of psychedelic music and know that a particular kid listening to it might very well have never heard what we’re doing before.

SD: What have you learned doing kids’ records? JL: Kids can be brutally critical in their own way. One thing is that they don’t particularly worry about the formality of the performance. It wouldn’t make a little kid nervous if the band stopped playing and nobody applauded. They are comfortable with that. Whereas adults will applaud because it’s too weird not to … And that can be very nerve-racking.

SD: You have a new iPhone app that is the evolutionary cousin of your old Dial-a-Song phone line. The internet and new technologies can obviously be used for good, but also for evil. How do you navigate which is which? 

JL: We don’t want to do something that is gratuitous in any format. Just because there is this new technology and new market that’s opened up doesn’t mean you automatically create your own version of it. It can come off as crass and can actually becrass. The thing that the iPhone app has turned into is pretty satisfying, seeming like it deserves to exist.

We were always receptive to the idea of making stuff more accessible. And Dial-a-Song was a great early application. We thought it was cool in an intuitive way to call up a phone and listen to a song. But it turned out to be a great way for people to experience us in a different channel, from home. Before the internet existed, that was an unusual way to experience something, circumventing the record store or the night club and just calling the band up and hearing a song. In a way, that’s now the normal way in which everybody gets their culture.

[allhailthewicked]

You know what headcannon that I just thought of that I’m in love with. The idea that everyone except Luke can play a variety of instruments.

Like Julie can play guitar, piano

Maybe fiddle just for Reggie.

Oh and for my self indulgence she plays the harp.

Alex because his parents learned how to play the piano, violin, and cello.

He‘s been playing piano since the age of 4 and violin and cello since the age of 6

So to say his hands are messed up is a understatement lol

He also played the flute in marching band and literally any type of percussion.

Triangle? Yes.

Timpani? Yea

Bongos? surprisingly yeah.

Glockenspiel? Of Course

Reggie is a jack of all trades when it comes to playing instruments.

My man can literally look at instruments and now how to play it lmao

Like we already know that he can play bass, piano, and banjo

But like he can play guitar, viola, trumpet, trombone, saxophone (soprano, alto, and BARITONE)

Like Reggie gives me both saxophone kid energy and clarinet kid energy

WAIT NO HE GIVES ME UKULELE KID ENERGY!!! (I can say that because I play)

I also feel like he was like 5’3 until the age of 15 when he had a massive growth spurt so like imagine this 5’3 kid carrying a tuba

LIKE HE ACTUALLY SOUNDS GOOD ON THE RECORDER

Carlos and Julie introduced him to the otamatone and he got it down almost perfectly in two days

But Luke however is just extremely talented on the guitar (acoustic and electric) but like his brain just doesn’t connect with any other instrument lol

He tried violin but he broke two separate bows on his first day

He is also both too soft and too hard on the drums and that freaks Alex out

He‘s mediocre at best with piano but on the upside he had more Julie-time because she very motivated to teach him

A/N:

Anyway here’s my pretty messy headcannon written in 5 minutes!!! Also I’m going to start my tag list for my writing so let me know if you want to be included. OH and let me know if you want to be taken off of it or if you have any suggestions. Tag list will be the reblog and I promise they’ll be more put together than this (I have some ones that are actual coherent stories lol) but I had a break at work and a dumb idea lol.

[allisoooon]

Character tracks on the TUA soundtrack

Eh, my music degree might as well get used. So. Commenting on the UA soundtrack. Not the songs—the music Jeff Russo composed for the show. Just the tracks named after characters, because I love analyzing that shit.

Hazel and Cha-cha | D Minor, 2/2 | We start off with hella bassoon, then low strings and clarinet, letting us know with the depth of the sounds that we’re looking at villains. We even have some timpani and some lovely dissonant harmonies making us slightly tense to make it extra clear. This is pretty typical villain stuff.

Klaus | D Major/Minor, 4/4 | We have a hammered dulcimer playing the main melody, which starts out in a major scale and ends in a minor. The piece itself begins in a major key and ends in a minor key, illustrating the chiaroscuro of the character himself. The tempo is brisk-ish starting out, but the track eventually slows into something more haunting with the melody played on an alto flute. The two instruments chosen here (hammered dulcimer and alto flute) are not typical orchestral instruments, though the alto flute occasionally makes an appearance. Both have an ethereal quality to them, making me think of the nature of Klaus’ existence—half in one world, half in another.

Hazel and Agnes | E Major, 3/4 | The theme for this romance is, appropriately, a waltz. I cannot think of a more appropriately romantic and adorable way to write them. There’s even a bit of a French flair, appropriate when one of the two has a pastry shop. Dear God this one’s precious. Hazel and Agnes are the most pure and unproblematic ship on this show and I love the contrast between this and the Hazel and Cha-cha track, revealing that Hazel has a beautifully soft side.

Vanya | C Minor, Irregular | This is an unaccompanied version of her big violin solo. It sounds different by itself, illustrating her solitude and melancholy. I actually wonder if this track was intended to be her audition, as it never appears in full on the show. I think I expected Vanya’s theme to be the four-note leitmotif we hear so often around her, but that’s actually the apocalypse theme. I like this better because it suits her personality more and is less doom-and-gloom while still being tragic.

The Swedes | A Major, 2/4 | This has a lovely jazzy, vintage feel with a lot of electric instruments. These guys are no Hazel and Cha-cha, and the music tells us our experience with them will be less impactful and more fun—a clue that the real sinister shit is going to come from elsewhere.

Lila and Diego | D Minor, 4/4 | Starting off with piano playing some melancholy arpeggiated chords with a rhythm that almost reminds me of blues—just the rhythm, not the rest of it. We’re being given an indication that this is an offbeat, quirky relationship, but one dripping with tragedy. Incredibly beautiful.

Luther and Allison | G Minor, Irregular | Why this wasn’t on the season one soundtrack, I’m not sure, since it’s one of the themes that really stood out to me back then. It’s a beautiful melody that begins in 4/4 and ventures into 3/4 (waltz territory) before its end, poignant and sad, played first with a music box-y sound (celesta, I think? It’s been a while and percussion instruments weren’t my forte), then by a piano. On the show, this leitmotif is used to great effect, especially when Luther is looking at Allison’s wedding photos in season two; every other note is removed, showing how Luther’s dreams of them are breaking apart.

[stubborn-sapphism]

hi <3

okay i might as well post something now to prolong my procrastination today

i’m robin and i use she/any pronouns and i am bad at talking about myself! literally how do i condense my personality down to some bullet points help

anyway - 

as you can guess, i’m sapphic! sort of debating between identities. i label my gender as librafeminine but that’s just for my own peace of mind - no need for anyone to actually know/remember that haha

musician at heart. alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet, singing, and i can play piano as long as there’s no complicated sheet music involved :’)

writing? nah, i just decide to start a new story and spend the next few hours looking for cool character names (no, The Bump, i’m not pregnant) just to end up with about two words on the page.

i believe in roller blade supremacy! tried skates once and they’re easier for tricks but blades are still better.

i have two types of tiny cacti in a pot on my windowsill that i’ve managed to keep alive as of yet but we’ll see how that goes pfft - i also have a little garden in a raised bed with sage, dill, basil, lettuce, carrots, cilantro, and soon strawberries!

one very yappy dog and four obnoxious but adorable chickens who have taken over half the backyard.

i love pressing flowers but hate having to wait for them </3

i enjoy going thrifting - literally why go to normal stores when you can get really cool stuff for a few dollars? especially ties. ties are amazing.

i’ve been a girl scout for nine years and currently working on my silver award project which i’m wayyy behind on jkafldsh

i'm a musical addict and hadestown is my favorite!

i will gladly binge certain children’s animated shows. the owl house, she-ra, the dragon prince, glitch techs, amphibia, carmen sandiego, ATLA and LOK, the ones with rep are the best :D

thoughts and morals are strange. i spend way too much time thinking about why people make certain decisions and how the way we live our lives is a really, really weird concept.

i’m biracial (assamese and white) but completely uncultured on the indian side! sucks for me!

also my desk is a catastrophe right noww

proud to be a seayours <33 @seayours-squad

literally no idea what i’m going to post here :)

[sugarsymphonyy]

What performing art the Assassination Classroom characters would be in

Nagisa

Theater

Please- he's so good at acting and hiding his feelings-

He wanted to be in tech, but had to take a year of drama first and the instructor had him stay as an actor

Kayano

Also theater for obvious reasons

I feel like she'd also be good in show choir

Rio

BRJSHQBEUA SHE SEEMS LIKE A MARCHING AND JAZZ BAND TROMBONE

I can't explain it, she just gives off that type of vibe and idk why

Probably went to All-State and regionals multiple times and got first chair

Soloing QUEEN

Shes also a dancer, but I can't tell exactly what type

Karma

Please put this man on the Barisax in a symphonic band

Maybe even trumpet

Idk i feel like he's too quiet to be trumpet, but damn does he have the ego for it

(I promise I mean no harm)

He'd probably play Bass in jazz band, but don't quote me on that

Honestly could play any instrument he damn well pleases

Probably a god at theory-

Def was in orchestra at one point

Always first chair no matter what

Terasaka

He's in drum line for marching band-

He'd be damn good too

Mf probably can't read sheet music to save his life-

Originally wanted to play trumpet, but couldn't figure out tf to buzz

Kirara

You can't tell me she wasn't in choir at one point-

TENOR😫😫😫❤❤

Probably writes her own music too

THEATER KIDDDDDD

Look me in the eyes and tell me she isn't a theater kid

You can't

I will die on this

But she sooo good, like-

MONOLOGUES ARE HER SHIT

She just is god at this point

Could also do show choir if so desired

Maehara

Is he or is he not a trumpet in marching band?

He is

Mf either don't know how to music or is always trumpet 1

SOLOS

He also joined a jazz band as guitar so he could show off to the ladies outside of band

He probably has the richest sound on trumpet

He def fingers like a God on guitar

Lips are probably dry 85% of the time smh(but also same... smh x2)

Honestly, he probably joined as a joke in elementary school and then just never stopped

He's also in choir

R A N G E

Opera sounding mf

Could hit whistle notes if so desired

Okada!❤

I love her so much

Probably plays clarinet in symphonic band or cello in an orchestra

TECHIEEEE

Probably does props or sound

Fuwa

Shes in theater bc there weren't any voice acting classes

Wanted to be in va so she could be in anime adaptations of her favorite manga

Shes honestly pretty good ngl

Have lots of emotion when she acts

I think she'd have a lot of fun in show choirs too simply because she could be more animated

Overall, pretty solid actor

Hayami

I mean... she's canonically a jazz dancer... so there's that

Please i wanna see her dance, that'd be so cool

But along with that, I feel like she'd play tenor sax, or alto maybe

Its for marching band

Not the worst, but not the best

A few solos here and there when possible

Usually on alto/tenor 1 or 2

MARCHES LIKE A BOSS THO

She rolls through so beautifully-

If not a musician, then dance line for gaurd

Sabre line too

And rifle line

I love her so much

Chiba

He looks like the drummer of a band

That being said, I feel like he'd be good at trombone for jazz band??

I think that's bc he gives me the same vibe as one of our trombones lmao

He just looks like he would do jazz in general idk

I love him, please give him appreciation

Irina

Anything and everything

This woman does it all

I have nothing else to say on this subject, she just does everything and she's damn good at it too

Thats all I can think of for now, but let me know if you want more! Thank you for reading!❤